Comparison of automated ribotyping to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for genetic fingerprinting of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Fifty-two isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and automated ribotyping by using HindIII and PvuII. HindIII ribotypes correlated well with PFGE. PvuII produced fewer bands and was less discriminatory. Automated ribotyping with HindIII is an accurate method for genetic fingerprinting of S. pneumoniae and can complement PFGE.